


Charmed 109: There Goes The Neighborhood

by Metal_Ox137



Series: Charmed AU1 [9]
Category: Charmed (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 00:31:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5071003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Ox137/pseuds/Metal_Ox137
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phoebe and Paige decide to move into a new apartment in Chinatown - but not all the demons living there are happy about it!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charmed 109: There Goes The Neighborhood

It was a cold, drizzly Monday morning in San Francisco. The bitter freezing of the February weekend had finally subsided, and in its place more temperate winter weather had descended on the city. Traditional rain and fog were expected to be the order of the day.  
Prudence Trudeau walked into the lobby of her office building with a resigned sigh. Rex Buckland had only been gone a few weeks, but Prue was feeling his absence acutely. She hadn't realized how much of a buffer Rex had provided for her when interacting with wealthy clients. Although she could certainly do such work, she didn't enjoy it; and the constant abrasion of the prejudices of the extremely well-to-do was sapping all of her enjoyment from the job. She longed desperately to hide in her own office, and worry exclusively about the authenticity of artifacts to be cataloged and auctioned. But the ivory tower never felt so far away, so unattainable.  
Prue got off the elevator, shrugged her purse a little higher on her shoulder, and with another deep sigh, walked over to the double doors marking the entry to Buckland's Auction House. The doors were already unlocked, and the company receptionist was already preparing her desk for the day ahead.  
"Good morning, Victoria," Prue greeted her.  
"Good morning, Mrs. Trudeau," Victoria replied warmly. "Mr. Buckland is on the phone, waiting to speak with you."  
"Rex is on the phone?"  
"Yes, in your office."  
With a tilt of her head, Victoria indicated the office that Buckland himself had used. The office was now officially Prue's, but she preferred to remain in her much smaller corner office at the opposite end of the hallway. She even declined to have Rex's nameplate removed from the door, and only used the space when conducting business with prominent clients.  
"Have the plates come back from the engravers?" Prue asked.  
"On your desk, awaiting your approval," Victoria answered promptly. "And the lithographs from DiNato's will be brought in by two this afternoon."  
Prue smiled at the young woman gratefully. "Thanks, Victoria. Rex is waiting now?"  
"Yes, he rang just a few minutes ago. I asked if he'd like you to return the call after you got in, but he said he would wait."  
"Then I won't keep him waiting any longer. I'll speak with Rex first, then we'll go over the rest of the schedule afterwards."  
"Very good, Mrs. Trudeau. Shall I bring your coffee to the main office?"  
"Yes, please."  
Victoria turned away quickly to see to the coffee, and Prue smiled quietly to herself. Like Buckland, Victoria was also an ex-demon; also like Buckland, she had found some advantages and pleasures to being human, and had settled in to the job quickly and capably. Unlike most ex-demons, she was more than capable of passing for human, and had the appearance of an attractive blonde woman in her late twenties. Whether that appearance was in part her own, or a glamour she'd been trapped with, Prue didn't know; but at this point in time, it hardly mattered. Victoria also shared with Prue a love of both art and history, and the two had gotten along quite well together, even before Prue's promotion. Prue wondered if it might be a good time to see if Victoria might be interested in a promotion of her own. She could certainly do with some help at the top.  
Prue stepped into the large office and quietly closed the door behind her. Buckland's office remained unchanged, but now had acquired something of an empty feel to it, being so seldom used. Not wishing to sit at the oversized desk, Prue elected to take the speakerphone from the sideboard and brought it over to the sitting area, the long cord trailing behind her. She settled herself into one of the chairs that looked out over the city, and released the hold button on the phone.  
"Hello, Rex, are you there?"  
There was no immediate reply, but Prue waited patiently; the call was going through directly to London and there would likely be gaps in the transmission. And, she reflected, if Rex had been waiting long, he might not be immediately next to the phone.  
"Prue!" Buckland's suave accents filtered through the speakerphone. "It's good to hear your voice."  
"It's good to hear your voice too," Prue answered honestly. "How are things in London?"  
"There's actually quite a bit of news to share with you."  
"Oh, really?" Prue turned her head as Victoria came in with a large mug of coffee and a small pitcher of creamer. Victoria smiled, left the mug and pitcher on the low lying table, and let herself out as silently as she arrived, closing the doors behind her. Prue took up the mug and sipped it gratefully.  
"Well, first the personal news. You are now officially speaking to a married man."  
"Rex, that's wonderful!" Prue exclaimed. "Congratulations. So Kaitlyn decided to make an honest demon of you after all."  
"She did indeed. It was a lovely wedding. All sorts of debauchery that I haven't seen for decades. In case you're wondering, I did sincerely think about inviting you and your sisters to London for the ceremony. But most of the demons here still wouldn't be accepting of good witches at a demon union. Things could have gotten ugly. By which I mean, uglier than I would like them to be, for you."  
"I appreciate the thought, Rex."  
"I've managed to convince Kaitlyn that the Charmed Ones are off limits, so to speak, and while she's never met you, she wanted me to let you know she despises you utterly, and she'll be only too happy to suck the marrow from your cracked bones - after you've died a painless death from natural causes, of course."  
"Well, that was sweet of her. I'd still like to meet her one day."  
"I'll send along a photo from our reception so you can see what she looks like. She's quite stunning."  
"From you, Rex, I would expect nothing less."  
"Although, my nuptials aren't the reason for the call. I have exciting news about the auction house to share with you."  
Although Buckland couldn't possibly see her, Prue sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Please tell me you're coming back," she blurted out before she could stop herself.  
"Why, my dear, it almost sounds as if you miss me," Buckland's voice showed surprise even over the distortion of the telephone wires.  
"I do miss you. Desperately," Prue admitted with all candor.  
"That is very nice to hear. I miss you as well. Which is why I think this next bit of news will not go amiss."  
"I'm all ears."  
"I've not been idly wooing my blushing bride the whole time I've been away. I've been talking to our investors, and I have been given the go-ahead to open a second office of the auction house here in London."  
"Rex, that's wonderful!"  
"There's more. You were my first choice to head both offices, but that would entail your traveling to London frequently. I thought, in your current circumstances, with your own pending marriage, children to raise, and the reunited Charmed Ones to guide - you might be more inclined to stay where you are, at least for the time being."  
"That's true enough," Prue admitted.  
"So my suggestion to our investors - and to you - is that you and I will hold joint authority over the dealings of the auction house. For day to day operations, you'd head up the San Francisco office, as you're doing now, and I would take charge of the London office. But since some acquisitions would require our meeting regularly, I would be willing to come to San Francisco whenever needed."  
"Your office is open and waiting for you, Rex."  
"Ah. I do wish you'd claim that space as your own. Even if I might need to borrow it from time to time. Anyway, the next order of business is to find a suitable site. I'm making some inquiries in that regard, and I'll be sending you some packets by mail with some of the prospects for your input."  
"I'll watch for them," Prue promised.  
"Good. Splendid. I must confess, I've missed seeing you day to day. The expansion of the business venture will give us a chance to continue to work together - perhaps not every day, but at least with the prospect of sharing each other's company a few weeks out of the year."  
"That's great news to me, Rex. Honestly, I was just thinking about sharing the throne of power with Victoria. I certainly could use the help of someone who doesn't mind rubbing elbows with the elite."  
"That's a splendid idea. I think you'll find Victoria is more than capable of holding her own in such settings, and it would allow you to spend more time doing the part of the job you actually enjoy. But there's one more bit of news to share with you. Demon news."  
Prue felt her heart skip. "You're not a full fledged demon again?"  
"As much as I might wish that, no. And since I'll need to take a transatlantic flight to reach the states, you'll see all-too-depressing proof of that soon enough. No blinking or shimmering across the world for me. Not yet, anyway."  
"So what's the news then?"  
"The news is actually in your own backyard. The demon community there is abuzz with reported sightings of the Dark Charmed One."  
Prue put a hand to her forehead and groaned in dismay. "Oh, no."  
"My dear, this could hardly be unexpected. It was bound to happen sooner or later."  
"Yes, that's true," Prue sighed grimly. "I was hoping we could stay off the radar for a little while at least."  
"Well, to the best of my knowledge, none of these beings are in fact fully powered demons, so I doubt they could present any sort of practical or physical threat to you or your sisters. Still, I thought you should know."  
"I appreciate that, Rex, thank you."  
"And if you'll pardon my saying so, I think it's well past time you divulged fully to your sister the extent of her pedigree, before she gets cornered by someone or something that won't know otherwise."  
"Yes," Prue agreed. "I've been putting that off far too long. And Rex, just so you know, we're trying to find a way to safely pull down the magical barrier."  
"Now there is a surprise."  
"The world is out of balance, Rex. The light needs its shadow. The yin needs its yang. Without both, the world will end up slipping away."  
"That is a very enlightened attitude, my dear."  
"Anyway, we're not sure how to do it yet. But it's at the top of our list."  
"Even if that means the demons return?"  
"Any of them that get out of line, we'll deal with them as we've always done," Prue said, and then added, "Well, actually, I won't. I'll just flash-fry them, instead of knocking them into next week."  
"Save a little of that demon spirit for yourself, Prue. I still maintain you have the makings of a first rate demon within you."  
"Not happening, Rex, don't even think about it."  
"Ah, but I can dream, my dear, and what lovely dreams they are. How about yourself? Any news from San Francisco? Is all right with you and your sisters?"  
"Couldn't be better," Prue declared happily. "Paige is coming along nicely with her magic lessons. And we just met her foster parents, they're really sweet."  
"I must say, I am looking forward to meeting your youngest sister. She must be very special."  
"Yes, she is," Prue nodded, even though Buckland could not see the gesture.  
"Anyway, I don't wish to keep you longer - we both have our own sordid realities to attend to. But you'll be hearing from me again very soon."  
"I'm glad to hear that," Prue admitted. "Thanks for calling me, Rex. I appreciate the news, and it is good to hear from you."  
"Take care, Prue, we'll speak again soon. Good-bye."  
"Good-bye." Prue thumbed the open line button on the speakerphone, and the line closed. Prue sat back in her chair and sighed deeply.  
"Damn," she swore softly to herself.

* * *

Later that same day, over lunch in a crowded dim sum cafe, Phoebe Halliwell and Paige Matthews were excitedly discussing their future plans. Paige had brought a carefully folded map of Chinatown, and was marking locations of available rentals, between bites of shiitake and napa cabbage dumplings.  
"I can't believe we're really going through with this," Phoebe remarked with a delighted laugh, as she watched her sister industriously marking the locations on the map with a colored pen.  
"Me either," Paige grinned, stopping long enough to wolf down another dumpling and follow it up with a sip of green tea. "I'm so excited! And I'm so glad you want to share a place with me."  
The night before, the sisters had unfolded a larger version of the map Paige now carried, marking the location of Prue's office as well as the office where Phoebe and Paige worked, drawing a straight line between them. Right between the two locations - almost dead center - was the heart of Chinatown. It was there, they both agreed, they would commence their search for a new place to live.  
"Okay, that's the last of the listings," Paige announced, finally setting the map aside so she could finish lunch. "And we should have time after work to see at least a couple of the apartments tonight."  
"Sounds great!" Phoebe grinned.  
"Feeling better about moving?" Paige asked concernedly.  
"Yeah, I am," Phoebe nodded. "I don't - I mean, I haven't had any premonitions or anything, but after I thought about it, well - this is the right thing to do. And thanks to my baby sister for not letting me chicken out," she added with a laugh.  
"You know we'll both see Prue all the time," Paige assured her. "And Patience. And Darryl."  
"I know. It's just - this is such a big step for me," Phoebe confided. "Bigger than anything I've ever done, really."  
"Oh, come on, Pheeble, you've been to New York."  
"Yeah, I know, but - this is different." Phoebe's smile turned thoughtful. "All this time, ever since I got here really, I've been kind of clinging to Prue, a little bit scared that maybe this is all still just some kind of dream, and I might wake up and - "  
She paused, and gave her sister a pleading look. "And this - moving in with you - well, it's me deciding finally that all of this is real, and this is home now, and - I don't ever want to leave you. Either of you."  
Both Phoebe and Paige took up their teacups, to hide their emotions.  
"We're probably going to have to start looking for furniture," Paige allowed, after a few moments had passed. "I've got an old couch and a coffee table, and my own bed, but that's about it, really."  
"That won't be a problem, there are plenty of good shops in Chinatown," Phoebe pointed out. "I'm just hoping Prue will let me keep the big armoire. I've kind of gotten attached to it."  
"Just tell her you want it as a housewarming gift."  
"Ooh, there's a thought." Phoebe grinned again. "I just get little butterflies in my stomach, thinking about this. You and me. This is gonna be great."  
"Beginning the Great Adventure of our Lives," Paige intoned, and then she laughed merrily. "What did Prue say, when you told her?"  
"I - haven't told her yet," Phoebe admitted shamefacedly.  
"Pheeble!" Paige remonstrated.  
"I know, I know, I have to tell her," Phoebe sighed. "I'll tell her tonight. I promise."  
"I keep telling you, Prue will only be hurt if you don't tell her."  
"You're right, of course you're right," Phoebe nodded. "It's just - every time I start to even think about telling her, I just - freeze up inside. This is hard for me, Paige."  
"Do you want me to tell her?"  
Phoebe shook her head emphatically. "No. I need to do it. And I will. It's like I said. This is the big step for me. Deciding this isn't all some kind of dream. I know it's stupid, but I'm still terrified that one day I'll wake up, and you guys will have vanished in a puff of smoke."  
She gave her dark-haired sister a pleading look, but Paige shook her head in reply.  
"No way," she declared. "Not happening."  
"I've already lost two sisters. And I couldn't bear it if the same thing happened to you, Paige, I just couldn't."  
"You really miss them," Paige said somberly. "Your sisters back home."  
"Yeah," was all Phoebe could manage, before hiding behind her teacup once again.  
"I can't even begin to realize how hard this has been for you," Paige added, once Phoebe had collected her fragile emotions. "Just siphoned out of one reality and dropped into another. But I'm too selfish to feel sorry for you. You and Prue are the answer to the prayers I've made ever since I was little kid," Paige said quietly. "Since I was as old as Patience is now. I prayed ever since that time that my real family would come looking for me, find me, and carry me home with them. And you and Prue -" she paused, struggling with a rising tide of emotion. "No fantasy I dreamed of could ever be as good as what I have with the two of you. I really feel like God has forgiven me, or blessed me, or something like that. No kidding."  
"Oh, Paige."  
Phoebe reached across the table, took her sister's hand in hers, and squeezed it tightly. Discreetly, Paige sniffed.  
"So . . . I have an idea," she said finally.  
"I'm all ears."  
"After we move in together, every night, we can sit in the living room, and you can tell me all about our sisters in your other world. All the stories you have about your Prue. And Piper. I want to know everything about them. They're my family too, even if I never get to meet them."  
"I think I would like that," Phoebe nodded, her voice taut with emotion.  
"Tell me all the little bone-headed things they do that annoy you. All the stupid stuff. Especially the stupid stuff," Paige added for emphasis, and Phoebe laughed, her momentary malaise dispelled.  
"I wish you could meet them," Phoebe declared forthrightly. "I wish I could have four sisters, not just two."  
"You do have four sisters," Paige pointed out. "Prue and Piper didn't stop being your sisters just because you got dumped here. They're still yours. Ours. So, yeah. Four sisters. Five, counting the great big wonderful train wreck called Pheeble in the middle."  
Phoebe gave Paige a tearful smile. "I love you, Paige."  
Paige gave her sister a big grin in return. "Yeah, I love you too, Pheeble. Okay. Let's get back to work, because the sooner we're done, the sooner we can go find our new home!"

* * *

Later that afternoon, Phoebe and Paige made their way along the rain-slicked streets in Chinatown. It was barely past four in the afternoon, but the drizzle and the rapidly fading winter sunlight left the impression of being much later.  
"That first place wasn't much," Phoebe sighed, as they walked along side by side.  
"No, it wasn't," Paige admitted. "But we have to keep our expectations realistic. We can't afford any penthouses."  
"Where's the next listing?"  
Paige quickly consulted her map, then tucked it back inside her coat to keep it dry. "Two more blocks up."  
Phoebe scanned ahead of them, frowning. "That looks like a warehouse district."  
"It might be," Paige reminded her sister. "Hey, remember, this is San Francisco. Any living space in the city proper is at a premium."  
"That's true enough," Phoebe agreed glumly.  
"There are lots of old buildings around here that have been re-purposed as apartments or condos. I've seen some old warehouses that have actually been turned into really comfortable living spaces."  
"We couldn't dare hope that this is one of those, could we?"  
Paige shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Let's go see."  
They walked up the street in the gathering gloom, and after reaching the second block, they came upon a nondescript building that once could have had storefronts on the ground floor, but now all were boarded up.  
"This isn't looking promising, Paige."  
Paige consulted her listings. "This is the right address. There should be an entrance somewhere."  
She walked a few steps further down the deserted, and now almost completely dark, street. She motioned to her sister. "Down here, Pheeble."  
As Phoebe joined her, Paige indicated the entrance - a single, recessed windowless door with carefully detailed Chinese symbols in faded paint on the front. To one side was a series of bell pulls, with resident names - all of them also in Chinese - next to each button.  
"So, how do we get in?" Phoebe asked. "Did you a get a passcode from the realtor?"  
Paige shook her head. "No, but I - "  
She trailed off abruptly as the loud clank of the latch bolt was heard, and the door opened on creaking hinges. No one stood on the other side of the door. Paige and Phoebe looked at one another.  
"Doors that open by themselves?" Paige asked, a little uncertainly. "Spooky."  
Phoebe shrugged. "I promise, Paige, you'll get used to that kind of thing soon enough."  
She made to enter, but Paige caught her arm. "Wait, wait," she pleaded. "It's just - "  
Phoebe grinned. "It's all right, sweetie. Hang on a minute."  
Phoebe placed the palm of her hand against the door, closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment, she opened them again, and smiled at her sister.  
"All clear," she announced.  
"You can seriously do that?" Paige gaped. "Get premonitions off a door?"  
"Actually, Paige, once you get more practice, you'll be able to do that too," Phoebe assured her. "You can sense magic. You're probably sensing it now, and don't realize it. That's probably why your head is abuzz. There's a lot of old magic in this building. A lot of mystical energy."  
"Is that a good or bad thing?"  
"I'm not picking up anything dangerous," Phoebe assured her.  
They entered a small, careworn lobby, where a single bare incandescent bulb lighted the stairwell and the doorway to an antiquated elevator. Paige pulled the listings from inside her coat and consulted them.  
"The apartment is number 401, so I guess that means we go to the fourth floor."  
"How are we supposed to get in?" Phoebe asked. "Does it give the name or apartment number for the building superintendent?"  
"I don't see one on the listing."  
"They wouldn't just leave the unit standing open - would they?"  
"No idea," Paige shook her head. "Why don't we go up anyway, if we can't get in, I can try calling the phone number later."  
She pushed the button for the elevator, and from somewhere far above them, a muffled bell pinged, and they could hear the pulley wheels squeaking. Paige glanced at her sister.  
"I'm just assuming you didn't want to climb four flights of stairs," she remarked, and Phoebe shrugged noncommittally.  
The elevator cage came to a stop, and the doors opened noiselessly. The sisters stepped inside.  
To their mutual surprise, the interior of the elevator was ornately decorated; the panels seemed to be covered in dark red felt, with stylized pictures of serpentine dragons and ancient temples, with Chinese symbols woven in delicate gold fabric underneath. Each panel was bordered with slender bamboo rods painted green and gold, and the elevator had a single red button - no indications of any floor markings.  
"Huh!" Paige snorted in vexation.  
"Maybe the elevator just stops at every floor?" Phoebe suggested.  
Paige shook her head, dumbfounded. Phoebe gently pressed the button and the door closed silently. The cage began to rise smoothly. Paige frowned, staring at the captions underneath the pictures.  
"Anything interesting?" Phoebe asked.  
"Mostly, they're just Buddhist prayers," Paige answered. She sighed in relief.  
"What?" Phoebe prompted gently.  
"Well, it's not likely we're walking into a den of evil if there are Buddhist scriptures plastered all over the walls, is it?"  
Phoebe did her best to suppress a smile. The elevator bell dinged softly and the door opened. The sisters stepped out in what appeared to be a wide foyer, with narrower hallways off to the right and left. The carpeting was old and worn, but spotlessly clean. The hallway was deserted and almost preternaturally silent.  
"Which floor are we on?" Phoebe asked, looking around, but seeing no signs or maps.  
Paige walked a little ways down one of hallways, and inspected a number on the first door she came to. She walked back.  
"That one's 301," she announced, "So I guess we have to go up one more floor."  
As the sisters turned to board the elevator, its door closed and the pulleys indicated it was once more in motion. Paige sighed in vexation.  
"Great, now we have to wait for the haunted elevator again," she grumbled.  
Phoebe reached over and tugged the sleeve of her sister's coat. A young blonde woman, wearing a modest white dress, was approaching them from the opposite hallway.  
"Pardon me," Phoebe called out as the girl approached. "We're trying to find apartment 401. Do you know where it is?"  
The young woman seemed surprised. "You're - talking to me?" she asked hesitantly.  
"Uhh, yeah," Phoebe answered, slightly confused.  
"You can see me. Both of you can actually see me!" The girl's face lit up excitedly.  
Paige gave the girl an appraising look. "Of course we can see you."  
"And you speak English too. Wow. That's great. Everybody in this building speaks Chinese," she added. "I don't speak Chinese."  
Paige gave Phoebe a withering look, but Phoebe just smiled tolerantly and repeated her question.  
"Oh, you want to see the loft!" the girl exclaimed. "Sorry. Yeah. You can't reach it by the elevator. The only way to get there is by the stairs." She pointed to the stairwell entrance, a few steps away. "I've never been up there, but I hear it's super nice."  
"Has it been vacant long?" Phoebe asked.  
"It's been a while since anybody's been up there," the girl answered, frowning slightly as she considered. "I'm not sure how long though."  
"Do we need to talk to the landlord, or someone, to get in?"  
The girl shook her head. "No. The unit's open. Nobody's come to see it for a while. I guess most people don't like climbing stairs."  
Phoebe looked at Paige. "You okay with going up a flight of stairs?"  
Paige sighed. "We've come this far, we might as well."  
"Great!" the girl smiled sweetly. "I hope you guys decide to move in. It would be nice to have someone to talk to. Everyone in the building is really nice, but I can't understand them. My name's Ellie, by the way."  
"Pleased to meet you, Ellie," Phoebe smiled politely.  
"Okay, maybe I'll see you later," the girl smiled, and with a wave, faded into the nearest wall as if she had dissolved into its surface, and disappeared from view. Paige's mouth flew open.  
"Oh. My. GOD," she gasped.  
Phoebe smiled knowingly, as if she had expected it.  
"Was she - I mean - she just - she was - ahh - " Paige sputtered helplessly, pointing at the spot where Ellie had disappeared.  
"Paige, sweetie, it's okay," Phoebe said soothingly. "Yes. Ellie's a ghost."  
"Oh, no," Paige threw up her hands. "No, no, no. Let's get out of here, right now. I draw the line at haunted houses."  
Phoebe smiled. "Paige, we don't have time for Ghost 101 right now, but I promise you, it's all right. Ellie wouldn't dream of hurting either of us."  
"And you know that how, exactly?"  
"Paige, trust me, we're fine," Phoebe answered. "I promise, I'll explain everything later. Ellie's no threat to us. In fact, she might be an innocent we're meant to save."  
"What do you mean? She's a ghost, Pheeble. That means she - well, it means she's, uhh, dead," Paige declared. "How do you save someone who's already dead?"  
Phoebe grinned. "Because I've already done it once before. Well, me and my other sisters."  
She walked over to the stairwell and pulled the door open.  
"You can't still be serious about wanting to see this place," Paige objected.  
"Why not?"  
"GHOSTS, Pheeble!"  
Phoebe sighed. "Okay. Ghost quick facts," she declared, to mollify her sister. "One, disembodied spirits on this plane are not normal. Sightings are extremely rare. Two, spirits, such as ghosts, usually have energy levels so faint that only magical beings, such as witches, can even see them, or talk to them. Three, not all ghosts are evil. Most spirits have been trapped here accidentally, and can't ascend to - well, wherever it is they would naturally go if they could. Four, and finally, Ellie is neither a poltergeist nor a spectre - which means, we can trust her. She's not dangerous. She's exactly what she appears to be. She's just lost, Paige. Someone who got lost trying to find her way home."  
Phoebe paused and looked at her sister appraisingly. "You okay?"  
Paige exhaled slowly. "Sorry," she apologized, making a sincere attempt to calm herself. "It's just - I kinda freaked out a little."  
"It's okay," Phoebe gave her a reassuring smile. "The same thing happened to me, the first time I saw one. It does take some getting used to."  
"And you've really saved a ghost before?"  
"Really truly," Phoebe grinned. "He was this sweet, young, good-looking Chinese guy - my sister Piper had such a huge crush on him."  
Paige shuddered with revulsion. "Oh, don't even!"  
Phoebe laughed. "Come on," she invited her sister. "Let's go see what this place looks like."  
Reluctantly, Paige allowed herself to be drawn into the stairwell, and the sisters quickly climbed the short flight of steps to reach the fourth floor. Paige pushed open the door, and they found themselves in another foyer, but there were no hallways here, just a modestly sized square space separating the stairwell entrance from a set of double windowless doors opposite, which was clearly the only entrance on the floor. The numbers next to the entrance read, "401".  
"This must be the top floor, then?" Phoebe guessed.  
"Must be," Paige looked around, seeing no other entrance. "And only one door."  
Phoebe reached out and carefully pulled down on the ornate handle. The latch turned easily, and door opened slightly. She glanced at her sister.  
"Shall we?"  
"Oh, after you," Paige retorted.  
Grinning, Phoebe gently pulled the doors open. She felt alongside the wall with her hand, found a light switch, and flipped it on. Both sisters gaped in astonishment.  
The space in front of them was a great room, open and inviting, with hardwood floors polished to a near perfect shine. Above them was a great skylight sloping at a forty-five degree angle off the north side. A butcher block island sat across from the kitchen area, and two old but still serviceable barstools remained aside. The light emanated from an old brass fixture floor lamp standing off to one corner.  
"Whoa," Paige murmured.  
"Very cool," Phoebe added appreciatively.  
Cautiously, they stepped inside. The dank winter chill that pervaded everywhere else seemed to be utterly absent from this space.  
"It's warm in here," Paige noted.  
"Probably from the sun," Phoebe pointed at the skylight, marveling at the glass, how clean and polished it seemed - although in the dark outside, all they could see was a faint mirrored reflection of themselves in the glass.  
"Well, thank God for that," Paige sighed.  
"What?"  
"No ghosts standing beside us in the windowpane."  
Phoebe laughed. "Relax, Paige. No spooks up here."  
"What? You think Ellie doesn't hang out in here?"  
"I doubt she's ever been up here. I think she's tethered to that third floor and couldn't move anywhere else if she wanted to."  
Phoebe extended her arms and closed her eyes.  
Paige frowned in puzzlement. "What are you doing?"  
"Scrying," Phoebe murmured.  
"I thought you needed a crystal or a mirror to do that."  
Phoebe didn't answer immediately. She slowly turned in a full circle where she stood, arms stretched wide, fingers splayed, mouth slightly agape in concentration. She completed three full turns, then slowly brought her arms down to her sides, and opened her eyes. She gave her sister a big grin.  
"Wow," she marveled. "There is some serious good energy in this space. Almost as strong as the Nexus."  
"The what?"  
"Never mind. I'll have Prue explain later." She smiled reassuringly at Paige. "Short version? This is a good place. A very good place." She tugged at her sister's hand. "Come on, let's see what the bedrooms look like."  
The two bedrooms sat at opposite ends of the far wall, with a common bathroom between them. Despite being utterly empty, the spaces were likewise warm and welcoming, each with an overhead lamp fixture mounted in the ceiling.  
"You're right, Paige, this must have been a warehouse at one time," Phoebe said. She ran her fingers across the dividing wall. "This is the only drywall up here. The exterior walls are all cinderblock and brick."  
"Not up to code, then?"  
Phoebe ran her fingers along the rough textured surface of the blocks. "I think this building was built using magic," she mused thoughtfully. "It could probably withstand a hurricane, a tidal wave and an earthquake all at once. Can't you feel it?"  
Paige shrugged helplessly. Phoebe took Paige's hand and gently pressed it against the wall.  
"Close your eyes," she suggested, and Paige did so.  
"I don't - "  
"Ssh. Don't talk. Just feel."  
Paige let her fingers run over the blocks. She could almost feel a warmth, a tingling energy pulsing through them. She opened her eyes in astonishment.  
"That's - " she started to say, and couldn't think of a single thing.  
"That's what it's like to be Charmed," Phoebe laughed. "Prue can do this so well, she can actually share what she 'sees' with us. You and I can just kind of sense it."  
"It feels good, it feels like - " Paige struggled to find words. "It feels like home," she said finally.  
"Do we dare look in the bathroom?" Phoebe grinned.  
Cautiously, they pushed open the door. The bath area had two entrances, one from either bedroom. This space felt cooler - it had a ceramic tiled floor instead of wood planking, with the toilet discreetly tucked away in a recessed area, while the main space had a large sink, and a huge, deep, claw-footed freestanding tub offset from the exterior wall by three or four feet. Both the sink and the tub had separate spigots for hot and cold water, and the feet of the tub had been cast to resemble curled up, sleeping dragons.  
The sisters returned to the great room, and they looked at one another.  
"So, what do you think?" Phoebe asked Paige.  
"It's - " Paige grinned slowly, shaking her head, not quite able to articulate what she was feeling.  
"Try one word," Phoebe suggested. "How does this place make you feel?"  
Paige thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Serene," she said. "I feel serene. Calm. At peace."  
Phoebe grinned. "Yeah. That's what I'm feeling too. Just all kinds of positive energy in here. Now for the million dollar question. Can we afford it?"  
"Uhh, actually, this place was the least expensive one on the list," Paige answered. "So, what's the catch?"  
"The catch?"  
"Come on, Pheeble. A place this nice doesn't stand empty for months on end. There has to be a reason nobody's rented it."  
"Then let's try to find out," Phoebe said. "We can go the library and look up the history of the area, this street and maybe even this building in particular. They should have old newspapers and legal documents on microfiche." She rolled her eyes. "God. I can't believe I just said that."  
"What?"  
"Someday, Paige, I will have to share with you the magic of personal computers," Phoebe sighed.  
"Is this one of those 'carry a phone in my purse' kind of things?"  
"Yeah," Phoebe admitted. "Trust me, Paige, if you ever get to see that stuff, you'll think it's magic too. So. Gut feeling. Yes or no?"  
Paige looked around the space before answering, then she smiled shyly. "Yes."  
"I say yes too." Phoebe grinned. "I'm getting that little thrill again."  
The sisters surveyed the apartment once more, turning on every light, every faucet, checking the stove and refrigerator - all, despite their age, in perfect working order. They made sure to shut off everything behind them as they exited, and as Phoebe pushed the doors shut, she frowned.  
"What is it?" Paige asked.  
"Probably nothing," Phoebe said thoughtfully, rubbing her fingertips across the door. "Most entrances, the doors swing inwards. These swing out."  
"Well, it really doesn't matter, I guess, as this little area is kind of part of the apartment too. Nobody else would come up here, except whoever wants to tramp up the stairwell."  
"That's true," Phoebe nodded, and then she sighed. "Well, I guess I need to go home and talk to Prue." Her face clouded over for a moment.  
"You'll feel better once you've told her," Paige declared. "And so will she."  
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Shorty."  
"Stop calling me Shorty, Pheeble."  
"Does that really bug you?" Phoebe asked, as they walked down the steps together. "When I call you Shorty."  
"Yeah, I guess it kind of does," Paige admitted.  
"Well, then, I won't call you that any more," Phoebe declared, and then she grinned. "I'll just have to come up with something even worse."  
"Oh, gee, thanks for that," Paige retorted, as she opened the door to the third floor foyer. "Just for that I'll - "  
Paige broke off with a startled yelp. As Phoebe came out of the stairwell behind her, she gasped.  
The common space was crowded - not with people, but with all manner of strange beings, many of which were not even humanoid. Some were tall, some short, some with multiple limbs, some with none at all - several appeared to be nothing more than dark shades with burning red eyes - all simply standing or sitting silently and expectantly, looking in the direction of the stairwell the sisters had just exited.  
"Pheeble," Paige whimpered, clutching herself desperately to her sister.  
A creature at the front of the throng, looking like a toad the size of a large bulldog, but with oversized human hands, stepped forward.  
"Majesty," it croaked humbly. "It is such a great joy and honor to see you once again." He prostrated himself before Phoebe.  
"All kneel before the Dark Charmed One! All kneel before the One True Queen of Hell!" One of the shades intoned, its voice a rasping grate; and, as one, every creature present did its best in whatever form it held to genuflect before Phoebe.  
Despite her terror, Paige turned to Phoebe and silently mouthed the question, "Majesty?"  
Phoebe could only shrug helplessly in reply.  
The toadlike creature dared to raise its head.  
"Majesty, forgive us," it croaked plaintively. "So few of us truly believed you could raise yourself from the dead. And yet here you are."  
"Uhh, here I am," Phoebe agreed uncertainly.  
"We beg you to return to us, and lead us once more. You are well and truly the Source of All Evil."  
Phoebe, utterly flustered, couldn't think of a single thing to say. The toad's eyes fell upon Paige.  
"This is your handmaiden?" he asked.  
"Handmaiden?" Phoebe blinked. "Uhh. No. No, she's not. She is my . . . sister."  
"Pheeble, what are you doing?" Paige hissed under her breath.  
"Yeah. That's right," Phoebe declared, raising her voice, hoping desperately to project something even remotely like regal gravitas. "This is my sister, Paige. She is like me, a Charmed One. She is one of the most powerful witches ever born. And I know you can sense the magic within us."  
Phoebe could have sworn all the demons cringed in terror as she said this.  
"She is not to be threatened. She is not to be harmed," Phoebe found it much easier to put weight behind these words. "Any orders she gives you, you will obey as if they were mine."  
"We understand, majesty, and we will obey," the toad answered, groveling once more.  
Phoebe fixed her eyes upon the creature. "Rise. And face me."  
The toad did as commanded, on badly shaking legs.  
"What's your name?" Phoebe asked, not unkindly.  
"Skritch, dark lady."  
"Skritch?" Paige couldn't help snorting. "That's not a name. That's nails on a chalkboard."  
"Why, thank you," the toad said humbly, obviously taking Paige's derision as a compliment.  
Phoebe grabbed her sister's hand and gave her the barest shake of the head. Paige frowned, not comprehending.  
"Paige, look at them," she said quietly.  
"But - I don't - "  
"Look at them," Phoebe repeated. "Really look at them. What do you see?"  
Paige looked. Despite their fearsome appearances, every one of the creatures was cringing and cowering before them. And there was something else. They were weak, emaciated, some barely able to stand . . . crippled, enfeebled, every gesture and motion an agony.  
Paige drew in a sharp breath.  
"They've - lost their magic," she barely whispered.  
"These are demons," Phoebe murmured grimly. "Or what's left of them, when all their evil has been sucked out of them."  
"But surely you have come to restore us," Skritch pleaded. "We beg you, Dark Lady, with our worthless lives, will you not bring down the barrier, and make us whole once more?"  
"They know about the barrier?" Paige asked Phoebe.  
Phoebe knelt down on one knee so she could better look Skritch in the eye. As one, the demons gasped in disbelief.  
"What do you know about the barrier, Skritch?" Phoebe asked.  
"Dark Lady, spare me," the toad nearly wept.  
"Answer me," Phoebe said evenly.  
"She is NOT the Dark Charmed One!" chirped a screeching voice. It came from a creature that looked like a cross between a cuttlefish and a scorpion, except it was nearly the size of a large dog. "No True Queen would kneel before her subjects!"  
"Fool!" hissed another. "Can you not smell the magic on her? She who was dead lives again! Beg her forgiveness, lest she burn you where you stand!"  
"Speak again, and you die," Phoebe managed to find enough genuine anger to give her words force. The foyer fell absolutely silent. She turned again to the toad.  
"Tell me what you know of the barrier, Skritch," she commanded quietly.  
"Majesty, it is the life and blood of your sister dead, the one called Piper." The toad stammered so badly it could barely speak the words.  
"Is there any way to bring the barrier safely down?"  
The toad looked at Phoebe in pure consternation. "But . . . do you not know this thing yourself, Dread Sovereign?" He swallowed hard. "Or perhaps your powers are still gathering, after your resurrection?"  
Phoebe mulled that over for a minute. "Do you and your . . . people . . . live here, in this place?" she asked.  
"We do, Dark Lady, in the deepest catacombs beneath the foundation."  
"Then you will return there."  
Phoebe stood up again, and the demons shrank back in abject terror.  
"Return to your places, until I send for you," Phoebe intoned, again hoping that somehow the reputation of her alter ego would be enough to send the demon horde packing. After a moment, the demons began to shrink away, with as much bowing and scraping as they could manage. In moments, the foyer was deserted once again.  
"Skritch, not you," Phoebe added, as the toad turned to leave. The sickly creature turned back, tears welling in his eyes, apparently believing he was about to be incinerated at any moment.  
"There are two things I need, and you will provide them."  
"It shall be as you command, majesty."  
"I will return to this place shortly."  
"You mean to reside - here?" Skritch asked, dumbfounded.  
"I do."  
"In a place of pure . . . goodness?" The demon's revulsion was absolute.  
"Do not question me again," Phoebe said evenly.  
"Never, majesty."  
"I need a guardian for this entrance. One whom will let my sisters and myself pass, and no one else."  
"It shall be done."  
"And I need information."  
The toad frowned in puzzlement.  
"Much has happened while I have been . . . away," Phoebe said. "When I return to this place, I will summon you, and you will relate to me and my sisters everything that has transpired in the demon world since my . . . absence."  
"I shall, Dark Lady."  
"Now, you may go."  
The toad bowed low, and then hopped away frantically. Phoebe let out a deep sigh.  
"Have you completely lost your mind?" Paige hissed.  
Phoebe turned to look at her sister. "Do you think the toilet upstairs works?" she asked weakly. "I really need to pee."

* * * 

A few minutes later, Paige sat huddled in a booth at a nearby cafe, sipping green tea and staring insensibly at the pelting rain splashing against the windowpane. Shortly after she and Phoebe had left the apartment building, the skies had opened in earnest, and a full downpour was now washing over the city. Paige shivered, not entirely from cold. She looked up as Phoebe slid into the seat opposite her, picking up her teacup and sipping the hot brew gratefully.  
"What did Prue say, when you called her?" Paige asked.  
"I just told her I was with you, and that we were coming straight home, I mean, back to her place."  
"And that's it?"  
Phoebe smiled wanly. "Prue knows something is up. She kept asking if I was all right."  
"Are you?"  
"A little . . . unnerved, I guess," Phoebe admitted. "But, yeah, I'm okay. How about you? That had to be pretty wild for you."  
"Hey, I only threw up twice," Paige answered, a little defensively.  
"I don't know, that seems to be the best thing to do, in the presence of a demon," Phoebe sighed sympathetically.  
"What are we going to do, Phoebe?"  
"I think we need to do as we planned, and move into that apartment."  
"You can't be serious," Paige said, aghast.  
"Sure I am," Phoebe answered. "Sweetie, I know you just had to deal with a whole room full of demons, but - "  
"But, nothing," Paige declared flatly. "Deal's off. No way am I moving into Demon Heights."  
"Paige, listen to me, please," Phoebe pleaded, and Paige swallowed her arguments along with another swig of tea. "We have a chance here to fix something broken. I really think we should consider it. Remember what happened at Thanksgiving? That's nothing compared to what could happen, if that barrier suddenly collapses. This may be our best opportunity to figure out what to do about it."  
Paige shook her head. "I'm sorry, Phoebe. I can't do this. Any of this. The whole Charmed bag. I'm not cut out for - ghosts, and demons, and talking toads - "  
"Paige. Look at me," Phoebe said quietly, calling her sister to a halt. Paige looked into her sister's eyes, her lower lip trembling.  
"You're scared. I get that," Phoebe began. "I'm scared, too. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."  
"Then why go back?"  
Phoebe smiled. "Remember, you're talking to the sister who can see the future," she said quietly. "As soon as I walked into that space, I knew - we were meant to be there. The two of us. It just felt right. I know you felt that too."  
"Yeah," Paige admitted, a little uncomfortably.  
"And I really don't think we are going to have too much to worry about from our downstairs neighbors. They're all sick, Paige, nearly dying. They were practically begging us for help."  
"Yeah? And what happens when they figure out you're not really the - what was it they called you? The Source of All Evil?"  
"I think some of them already know," Phoebe admitted grimly. "Or at least, they suspect. Which makes it all the more important we use the opportunity to bring down that barrier safely. Before something really bad actually does happen."  
"We can't do this by ourselves, Phoebe."  
"We're not going to," Phoebe assured her. "We're going to collect our big sister, and with the power of three, we'll put our heads together and decide how to get this mess sorted out." She gave Paige a reassuring smile. "Hang in there, Paige. If I've learned anything being a Charmed One, it's that the three of us working together can do anything. Literally anything."  
Paige almost laughed. "You sound like you really believe that."  
"I don't believe it, Paige," Phoebe said quietly. "I know it for a fact. I know it's hard for you, because you're new at this, and you have to take a lot of things on faith. I don't. But I'm asking you to trust me. And trust Prue. Your big sisters won't let you down. And you are gonna see things so amazing - so good, so wonderful - they'll more than make up for the scary moments - "  
Phoebe broke off abruptly, her attention caught by a man hastily exiting the cafe.  
"Pheeble?" Paige turned to see what caught her sister's attention, and she gasped. Together, the sisters bolted from their seats and raced towards the entrance. Outside on the street, the grizzled, bearded stranger was pelting away, but obviously limping.  
"WAIT!" Phoebe called after him. "We just want to talk to y - "  
The man turned, staring at them with a grief-stricken expression on his face - and then he was suddenly surrounded by a flurry of bright sparks, which seemed to smother him in an instant, and he abruptly vanished, leaving only the darkness and the rain. The sisters stood there in the downpour, utterly slack-jawed.  
"Phoebe," Paige gasped breathlessly. "That was him. That was my dad! My real dad!"  
"Yes, it was," Phoebe agreed grimly.  
"What happened to him? Where did he go? And that light - it's like mine - "  
"He's a White Lighter!" Phoebe shook her head, almost not believing it herself.  
"He's a WHAT?" Paige demanded. "What does that mean?"  
"It means, we need to get home to Prue, right now," Phoebe told her younger sister. "Come on, Paige, we don't have a minute to waste!"  
Phoebe took her sister's arm, and they hurried away; in moments, the street was utterly deserted, leaving only the rain falling in sheets under the streetlights.

**Author's Note:**

> The rather incongruous cameo appearance of Ellie is meant to be nothing more than a tip of the hat to Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, whose wonderful "iZombie" comic I just finished reading. I haven't seen the TV version yet, but for those of you who haven't yet read the original comic, it's worth plonking down some thrones for. Happy Halloween!


End file.
